We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and
customise content and advertisements. By clicking "OK" or by clicking into any content on this site, you
agree to allow cookies to be placed. To find out more visit the cookies section of our
privacy policy.

Papa Diack dismisses suggestions Takeda bribed him or father to help Tokyo 2020 win Olympic bid

Papa Massata Diack, son of former International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Lamine, has dismissed claims of wrongdoing surrounding the awarding of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Tokyo.

It followed Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) President Tsunekazu Takeda being placed under a formal investigation by French prosecutors as part of an ongoing probe.

Takeda, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and who led the Tokyo 2020 bid, is suspected of authorising the payment of bribes in order to help the Japanese capital secure the hosting rights for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 71-year-old is reportedly subject to a preliminary charge, with prosecutors deeming there to have been serious grounds for suspicion involving the official.

Takeda was born as the third son of Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda and is the great-grandson of the Emperor Meiji, who ruled Japan from 1867 until his death in 1912.

Takeda, a two-time Olympian in equestrian, is considered a well-respected IOC member and Japanese sports official.

He has served as head of the IOC's influential Marketing Commission since 2014 and in 2017 was granted an age limit exemption to remain a member beyond his 70th birthday last year.

It means he will continue to serve on the IOC after Tokyo 2020.

He is expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday (January 15) to discuss the allegations publicly for the first time.

Takeda is reportedly being investigated for "active corruption", according to Le Monde, regarding payments worth $2 million (£1.5 million/€1.75 million) made to Singaporean company Black Tidings before Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires in 2013.

The account holder has been closely tied to Papa Diack.

It is alleged the payments were directed to the elder Diack, with authorities in France suspecting corruption or money laundering by an unknown person.

An investigation team, established by the JOC, cleared Tokyo 2020 in September 2016 over the controversial payment, dismissing allegations it was used as a bribe as Lamine Diack was a voting IOC member at the time of the vote.

Takeda was questioned by Japanese prosecutors in 2017 in relation to the payments, which he has insisted were part of a legitimate consultancy agreement.

"Mr. Takeda has never discussed such things with my father, never discussed anything like that with anybody that I know," Papa Diack told the Japanese news agency Kyodo.

Lamine Diack is currently being held in France and facing corruption charges.

His son remains in Senegal but is subject to a red notice issued by Intepol back in 2016.

"Papa Massata Diack is wanted by France on charges of complicity in receiving bribes, aggravated money-laundering, and conspiracy in an organised group to invest, conceal or convert the proceeds of active corruption," the red notice states.

According to Kyodo, Papa Diack claimed had had met Takeda only twice, with the first coming at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin during 2009.

The second meeting came at the IOC Session in 2013, where he claimed he shook hands with the JOC President the in their first encounter, before congratulating him after the vote.

Tokyo, the winner of the first round of the 2020 vote, defeated Istanbul by 60 votes to 36 in the second ballot.

Papa Diack has blamed the accusations on a smear campaign to tarnish his father's reputation, according to Kyodo.

Brazilian investigators have claimed that politicians and Carlos Nuzman, President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, arranged a $2 million (£1.5 million/€1.8 million) bribe for Lamine Diack’s vote and for him to convince other IOC members from Africa to bring the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Rio de Janeiro.

He has also been linked with a scheme to help Pyeongchang win its bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

IOC President Thomas Bach urged the Senegalese Government to cooperate with a French investigation last month in a letter sent to the country’s President Senegal President Macky Sall.

This followed the IOC awarding the 2022 Youth Olympic Games to the nation.

Sall agreed to Bach’s request, according to the IOC.

Papa Diack remains in Dakar as the Senegalese Government refuses to extradite him to France to face charges.

He has reportedly claimed he has been stripped of his passport and cannot leave Senegal.

Yesterday’s revelation represented a further blow to the IOC and Tokyo 2020, who have denied any wrongdoing contributed to their triumph.

"The IOC is ‘partie civile’ in this investigation and has been in close contact with the French judicial authorities," the IOC said in a statement yesterday.

"The IOC Ethics Commission has opened a file and will continue to monitor the situation.

"Mr Takeda continues to enjoy the full presumption of innocence."

The IOC insisted they have reinforced their code of ethics and introduced an approved list of consultants.

They also noted that Lamine Diack no longer holds a position with the organisation, having resigned as an IOC Honorary member in 2015, a day after being suspended by the organisation.

About the author

Since joining insidethegames.biz in 2015, Michael Pavitt has covered a variety of international multi-sport events, including the Baku 2015 European Games, the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, Sapporo 2017 Asian Winter Games and Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade. He also reported on the UCI Presidential election in Bergen in 2017, as well as attending the IOC Session in Lima and three ANOC General Assemblies.

inside the photos

Fact of the day

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists.

Featured Job

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent organisation committed to building a better world through sport. By joining us, you become part of the Olympic Movement. You will have the opportunity to work in an international and flexible environment with people of more than 50 nationalities.

The Big Read

Weightlifting was on the brink of Olympic elimination but its work to tackle its doping problem has nowwon plaudits from the IOC. With the World Championships in Thailand taking place this month, Brian Oliver reports on a tireless rescue effort.